Alex Dimitri Shibicky of Winnipeg, Manitoba stands out among many Rangers luminaries as a hero of the 1940 Stanley Cup-winning team as well as being a lifetime Blueshirt and ace forward on the club's famed "Bread Line." Along with the brothers, Neil and Mac Colville, Shibicky was the balance wheel of the unit and a reason why Blueshirt boss Lester Patrick considered Alex one of his prize discoveries. The Patriarch Patrick also was known for being exceptionally shrewd although as the following yarn reveals, Alex once was a teeny-bit shrewder. As a collector of funny hockey stories, I'm indebted to my pal – and Alex's son – Alex Shibicky, Jr. for this tale. The elder Shibicky was a 19-year-old Rangers prospect being eyed by Lester but before he could nail him for the Blueshirts, Shibicky's mother wanted to meet the New York hockey boss and ensure that her son was in good hands. Stan Fischler talks about Matt Rempe. "My grandmother was very protective of my Dad," Alex, Jr. tells me, "and when she invited Patrick to dinner she wanted to fully understand the implications of a professional hockey career and to quantify Lester's integrity. "Of course, Lester had his own questions to which 'Granny' confidently told him that my Dad was a 'good boy' and didn't smoke or drink' which Lester found very reassuring." The dinner meeting was a success with Lester promising to keep his prospect on the straight and narrow path. With his Mom's and Lester's assurance, Alex showed up at the Blueshirts rookie tryout camp in Winnipeg. Here's Alex, Jr. continuing the story. "Young aspiring players from across the Canadian prairies were to meet at a Winnipeg downtown hotel in preparation for the upcoming tryouts. As the players were getting to know one another, they finished their hotel dinner when Lester unexpectedly showed up." Young Ranger hopeful Shibicky must have been as surprised at the sight of his future boss as Lester was stunned by the sight of his "good boy" prospect. Shibicky, Jr.: "Lester found my Dad with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Patrick directly walked up to my Father and very casually said. 'I CERTAINLY HOPE YOU CAN PLAY HOCKEY AS WELL!'" Then a pause from Alex, Jr. and this closer: "Lester had put my Father on notice; and the rest is history!"
